Ingrid's Saturated Colors

When I saw my house with white primer after the previous owner's beige, it was so beautiful I worried that I was making the wrong call with the saturated colors I'd chosen. But as soon as the colors were up, I was so happy to see them. White can make a small space gloriously clean and calming to the eye--but colors suit me better. I also love being able to get all 104 framed pieces of art on my walls!

Three of My Best Tips and Tricks for Creating a Successful Small Space:

You don't need much space for sleeping. Everyone assumed I'd make the back (bigger) bedroom mine, as had the previous owners, but by putting my bed in the small front room, and my desk and sofa-bed in the big bedroom I could maximize living space. Plus, I love having the morning sun when I wake up.
It can be hard to hang art on colored walls--when you've got one piece on a wall, if the color's not perfect, it looks terrible. But if you've got a whole bunch hung together on a wall, those issues generally resolve themselves. Hang thematically in big groups (I've got landscape pictures in the bedroom, black and white prints on one living room wall, people/scars/tattoos/tattoo-like patterns on the facing wall, and natural history-related art in one corner), and suddenly very few pictures read as clashing with the wall paint, or each other.
Finally, if there's only one bathroom and it needs renovation, move heaven and earth to do it before you move in!